PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard suspended its search Monday for a 50-year-old man believed to have entered the water near the entrance to Chesapeake Bay around midnight Saturday.
Missing is Richard Nee.
Watchstanders at Sector Hampton Roads in Portsmouth received a report Sunday from two crew members aboard a 31-foot fishing vessel anchored just south of Fisherman’s Island and east of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, stating the captain of the vessel was believed to have fallen overboard while they were sleeping between 11:30 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 a.m. Sunday.The search for Nee included Coast Guard 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crews from Station Cape Charles and Station Little Creek, the crews of Coast Guard Cutters Shearwater and Heron, both out of Portsmouth, as well as two MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews and a C-130 Hercules aircraft crew from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina. Coast Guard crews searched for a total of approximately 55 hours and covered more than 700 miles.Crews with Virginia Marine Resources Commission, the Virginia Port Authority Maritime Incident Response Team, Northampton County, and others also participated in the search.
"Making the very difficult decision to suspend a search is never easy," said Capt. Christopher Keane, commander of Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads in Portsmouth. "Our deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of Mr. Richard Nee during this most difficult time."
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